Canterbury Bulldogs v Cronulla Sharks betting tips & winner prediction

The Canterbury-Cronulla clash in Sydney on Saturday night should be a cracker, on the proviso that the result goes as expected in the Thursday night Broncos-Storm match.

If the Storm, who are favourites for the title as well as for their match against the Broncos, win, Craig Fitzgibbon’s Sharks will have the incentive of nabbing a top-four spot for the finals with a win against the Bulldogs.

MORE: NRL BETTING TIPS

If the Broncos happen to upstage the Storm on Friday night, it’s probably better to avoid the Bulldogs-Sharks clash as a betting medium as it’s almost impossible to pre-empt which team will be more motivated for the final-round clash.

Of course, both teams will want to head into the finals with a win, but the Sharks will be deflated if their chances at the top-four have been taken away.

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Teams news for Bulldogs v Sharks clash

We have been bullish this season about the chances of the Sharks making a run deep into the finals and their chances pretty much go on the line in this clash.

They are as close to full strength as they can be for this encounter with the return of gun centre Jesse Ramien, although athletic back-rower Briton Nikora is not available until the first week of the finals thanks to suspension, and tackling machine Cameron McInnes is done for the year with a knee injury.

The Bulldogs will miss powerful Jacob Kiraz (ankle), with Enari Tuala taking his spot on the wing. The return of Viliame Kikau (infection) adds some real punch to the Dogs’ pack.

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Bulldogs v Sharks

Start:	7.35pm AEST, Saturday, August 6
Venue:	Accord Stadium, Sydney
Head-to-head odds:	Canterbury-Bankstown $1.60 v Cronulla-Sutherland ($2.35)
Line betting:	Canterbury-Bankstown -5.5 ($1.90) v Cronulla-Sutherland +5.5 ($1.90)
Series odds:	Canterbury-Bankstown $10; Cronulla-Sutherland $19

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Bulldogs v Sharks

Our NRL betting expert has highlighted his free tips for Saturday night’s game.

Sharks to win/match total under 43.5 points

As mentioned, this bet will be dependent on the Broncos-Storm outcome. It would not be the silliest play ever to include a Storm win in a multibet into the Sharks winning this clash. If the Storm win, all of a sudden the Sharks will have massive motivation to bring their A game against the Dogs, who can finish nowhere else on the ladder bar third. The Sharks to win into the unders is at $4.20 with online betting sites.

Ronaldo Mulitalo to score 2 or more tries

This mercurial Sharks star has been on a try-scoring tear with eight in his past five matches. He scored three last weekend and no reason to think he can’t cross for a couple again this week. The Sharks are a potent attacking outfit at their best and Ronaldo is often there to finish off the good work. You can find at least $5.50 with most Aussie bookmakers .

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Bulldogs v Sharks prediction 

The Dogs have won the past two clashes between these two teams, including 20-6 in their only meeting so far this year. But those two wins followed a six-match winning run by the Sharks against the Dogs. They match up well, though the Bulldogs are a far tougher proposition in 2025. If things fall into place, we will be betting on the greater motivation by the Sharks to see them win this one comfortably against a Dogs teams that will most likely be a little complacent given their spot on the ladder is settled for the finals.. Our final Bulldogs v Sharks prediction? Sharks by 10 points.